The Shadows of Storms
by x the sleeping insomniac
Summary: In all her thirteen years, Hikaru has never seen her father raise his voice to her mother. On the other hand, her mother yells almost constantly at him for every such thing. {series of drabble set in future!Konoha.}
1. admiration

**Hello, so I just came up with this on a whim with no prompt and sort of liked the idea and now I'm a bit obsessed with it. Anyway, I don't know how many more of these there'll be but I have a lot of ideas, so I hope you guys like it. :3**

**Characters: **Naruto/Hinata, Hikaru, Aito, Raiden, Ayame, Shikamaru

**Rating: **K

**Spoilers**: Yes. Just yes. Don't read unless you're all caught up with the manga, or like being given away major plot points. (This applies to all future chapters.)

**The Shadows of Storms**

**chapter one: **admiration

**by: **x sleeping insomniac

-x-

In all her thirteen years, Hikaru has never seen her father raise his voice to her mother. On the other hand, her mother yells almost constantly at him for every such thing, and sometimes Hikaru hears her father mumbling that once, she used to be timid and soft-spoken and he doesn't know what happened in between but even though he doesn't gamble like Granny Tsunade he'd put his money on the kids.

In the past few years since he became Hokage, Hikaru has noticed a change in him. She remembers being little and her father being energetic and optimistic, and while he's still all smiles, she sees a serious look on his face more often than not nowadays. Her mother doesn't yell at him when he has that serious look. She says it's from stress—running a village is hard work.

Hikaru doesn't doubt this, but she wishes her dad would come out to the field and train with her like he used to when she was still in the Academy. And it isn't that she graduated and is a genin now that prevents him from going out with her because Koshiro and now Kenzou are both in the Academy and he trains with them as much as he does with her.

Her mother says he's just busy—running a village is a lot of work.

Hikaru sighs and spins her chopsticks in her ramen. Ayame-san runs Ichiraku ramen now that her father is too old and frail to do it himself but sometimes her younger boy helps her out. She looks pregnant again. Hikaru bets Ayame-san is wishing for a girl.

"Don't look so cheery, jeez," Aito teases her, nudging her ribs with his elbow. Beside him, Raiden looks over curiously.

"Raiden, eat your ramen," Ayame scolds him, pointing a finger at her oldest son. He frowns at her but does as she says. His brother Tadaaki giggles where he's kneading dough.

Hikaru puts her chopsticks down and folds her arms on the counter. "I'm not sad or anything, just thinking too much I guess." She looks up and meets Aito's emerald eyes. They are strikingly sincere and remind her of her father's with their intensity and honesty.

He grins at her, flashing his sharp canines, "Then don't think so much! There's free ramen, Hikaru-chan!"

"You're welcome," Raiden mumbles around a mouthful of noodles.

Aito ignores their teammate, "What're you thinking about that's making you so gloomy?"

"I'm not gloomy!" Hikaru protests, dark eyebrows knitting together. Then she sighs because she knows she's fighting for a lost cause, it's always that way with Aito. His instincts or whatever are too sharp. "I'm just thinking about how my dad used to help me out with kunai and stuff when I was in the Academy, when he first became Hokage."

He looks confused, "That sounds like a happy memory."

"Well, yeah, it is, but he doesn't do it anymore and that's what makes me…gloomy."

"My dad still trains with me," Raiden says, pushing his empty bowl of ramen away from him. Ayame takes it and tries to give him a second bowl but Raiden indicates to his flat stomach and flaps his arms at her. She rolls her eyes and just turns away.

Aito, after watching the strange and silent exchange between mother and son, looks at Raiden, "You're not helping. And besides, that's expected, he's a sensei."

"Your dad trains with you."

"Beside the point!" Aito shouts, turning his back fully to Hikaru so she can only assume he's making all kinds of facial expressions to get his point across to an apathetic-looking Raiden.

"Anyway, neither of our dads are the Hokage," he's saying as he turns back around.

Hikaru sighs again and eats more of her ramen, not wanting Ayame-san to yell at her for wasting any, even though she's not hungry anymore. She thinks that maybe she should bring some home for her dad, he'd appreciate it because he never gets to come to Ichiraku anymore—after all, running a village is dedicated work. "Ayame-san, can I have a bowl to go?"

Ayame offers a warm smile, "Sure! For your dad?" When Hikaru nods, she says, "Tell him I said hello, then. It's on the house, of course."

Aito lifts his bowl to his lips and drains the broth. He slams the bowl back down on the counter and makes a satisfied noise. "Man, how can you be gloomy after ramen like that?"

"Thank you, Aito-kun," Ayame muses.

He grins again, "No problem! But seriously, Hikaru-chan, I know you miss your dad and all, but it's not like you'll see him much anyway when we become chuunin. We'll have too many missions!"

"That was literally no help at all," Raiden comments.

"Oh, shut up, Raiden, try to be sensitive," Aito tells him. Hikaru finishes her ramen just as Ayame hands her a warm to-go box. She slips off her stool and ducks out of the ramen stand.

"Hey, Hikaru-chan, where are you going?" Aito shouts, running after her.

Her brows knit, she figured it was pretty obvious where she was going but then again it was Aito she was talking to, she supposes. "Um, to give this to my dad. Before it gets cold."

"Oh, right, right! We'll come with you!" he exclaims, waving Raiden over.

Raiden is exactly four inches taller than Aito and five taller than Hikaru. You wouldn't know it though, by the way he hunches over when he walks. He sort of resembles and old and bent tree that was stretched too thin.

Aito, as always, points out their teammate's stance, "You have horrible posture, Raiden."

His dark eyes disinterestedly look over Aito and he shrugs, "You're short."

Naturally, Aito bristles over this and Hikaru has to duck out of the way to avoid Aito's lunge at Raiden that would have gotten the ramen spilled. She laughs softly as Raiden has to hold Aito at an arm's length away to keep the shorter genin's hands away from hitting him. He looks terribly bored with the whole ordeal, but keeping Aito at bay requires him to stand at his full height, and Aito recognizes how much of a disadvantage he's at and eventually backs off, arms crossed and grumbling about "tall, dark weirdos."

Hikaru's mother is chatting amiably with one of their neighbors when they reach her house. She spots her daughter and her teammates and waves, pausing in her conversation.

"Hi, honey, say hi to Mrs. Sazaki-san," she says when they're closer.

"Hi, Mrs. Sazaki-san," Hikaru greets dutifully, lifting a corner of her mouth.

The middle-aged woman beams, "Oh, such a sweetheart you are, and so pretty, too. These young boys must be head-over-heels for you, I bet."

Aito blushes approximately sixteen different shades of red and starts to protest but thinks better of it and instead looks at his feet while Raiden just stands there with an awkward look on his face.

"Actually, Mrs. Sazaki-san, we're just friends. Teammates," Hikaru explains, trying to save her friends from the embarrassment. Her mother chuckles to herself.

Mrs. Sazaki just sort of laughs, and then makes up an excuse to hobble back into her house. Hikaru turns to face the boys. "Thanks for walking me home, guys."

Aito brightens and lifts his hand in a wave, "No problem, Hikaru-chan! Cheer up though! Goodbye, Uzumaki-san!" Raiden raises a palm and turns away.

As Hikaru and her mother turn and walk inside, her mother says, "Please tell your friends to call me Hinata. You don't call Kiba-kun Inuzuka-san, do you? He would hate that."

"I don't speak to Inu—I mean, Kiba-san, very often. It's just polite, Mom."

She frowns, "It makes me feel old."

Hikaru wants to tell her that well, she is up there but decides that that may not be the best of ideas and walks without reply into the foyer. She takes off her sandals with her feet as to avoid spilling any more ramen than she probably already has and goes to find her father.

Naturally, he's in his study. She cradles to to-go box in one arm and knocks on his door before entering the room. He looks up blankly for a moment, and then his face breaks into a smile when he sees her. "Hey, Hikaru!"

She can't help but smile back. Hikaru goes to his desk and puts down the box. "I got you this while I was out, Papa," she tells him.

"Don't tell me this is…" he starts to say, opening the box. "Ichiraku!" He takes the plastic bowl out of the box and sets it on his paperwork. Hikaru starts to tell him to be careful because she may have spilt some of it while avoiding Aito's lunge at Raiden but he leans over his desk before she can get the words out and plants a kiss on her forehead. "Thanks, really, this is the best. I haven't had this in…God I can't remember in how long." He grins again and tears the plastic seal off the bowl.

As he shovels a massive amount of noodles and pork into his mouth, Hikaru smiles again and turns to leave, but her father says something unintelligible through his food and she stops, waiting.

He chews vigorously, his face a mixture of concentration and bliss, and then swallows, "Don't leave, kiddo, sit down a sec."

She does as he says and climbs into the chair to the left of his desk. He finishes another mouthful and looks at her, "So, you went to Ichiraku Ramen?"

Hikaru thinks this was rather obvious but she nods to oblige him. "Went with your team?" he's asking her.

"Yes, Papa."

He smiles and looks away, reminiscing, "Oh man, I remember when I used to go at your age. I had the _biggest _crush on Sakura-chan, you know. I never expected she would get with Kiba. Shame Itachi-kun wasn't assigned to your team, that would've been too perfect, though. Who is on his team? It's so hard to keep track of all these genin, lemme tell ya."

"Yamanaka Keisuke and Rock Nozomi are on Itachi-san's team."

"Right, right. Kiba is their sensei, right?"

Hikaru nods again and her father thoughtfully places a hand on his chin and scratches. "I miss teaching genin. It's a great feeling, having those kids look up to you so much. Course the world was a different place when I was your age training under Kakashi-sensei. D-class missions turned into A-class while we were on them and you never really knew all the ins and outs of a job. Now, everything is laid out, plain and simple." He sort of laughed, but it was bitter. "Makes me almost miss the Akatsuki, and Madara and them. They teach you about those guys in the Academy?"

"Yes, I know all about the Akatsuki, we took an exam on all their personal info and stuff. We also went over a lot about the Fourth Shinobi War." Her grin spreads wide and her cheeks color a little, "They talked on and on about you!"

His smile turns sheepish and she can see his own cheeks starting to turn red. "Aw, that's nice. Glad they're teaching that. It's important to know your history. Koshiro is still on the Third Shinobi War, if I recall. Important stuff. I mean I never paid attention to it much, but still. I wish I had, and I would've if I had known about my dad and Kakashi-sensei and Obito. I tended to do better in school when I could relate."

It's nice to sit and talk with her father. She doesn't get to anymore. She listens intently as he tells her about when he, Sasuke-san and Sakura-san were all genin under Hatake-san. He tells her her favorite story of their trip to the Land of Waves and their run-in with Momochi Zabuza when all they were supposed to be doing was escorting the builder. He tells tales of Sasuke when he was driven by the need to get revenge and how he left the village after the Chuunin Exams to join with Orochimaru and essentially become stronger. He recounts the first time he saw the original Uchiha Itachi, (born June ninth to Uchiha Fugaku and Mikoto, elder brother of Uchiha Sasuke, former ANBU, murdered entire Uchiha clan, (excluding Sasuke,) and banned from the village while acting under direct orders of the council, killed by Sasuke at twenty-one, Hikaru remembers from her lessons,) when he was a part of the Akatsuki and he and Hoshigaki Kisame, (born March eighteenth in Kirigakure, an original member of the Seven Swordsman of the Mist, defected after being honored for his loyalty to Kiri due to what he believed were misguided principles, committed suicide to protect Akatsuki secrets at thirty-three,) tried to kidnap him for the Kyuubi.

Hikaru can hear the sadness in his voice when he talks about Jiraiya even before he mentions his death and that makes Hikaru sad, too. But he smiles as he talks, despite the fact that he's digging up painful memories where he failed, as a shinobi and as a friend, as a student. She doesn't really want to hear this. She has never imagined her father, Uzumaki Naruto, the Sixth Hokage, as any sort of failure, and to listen to him recount fallen comrades and failed missions is image altering to her. He tells her about when he lost against Sasuke when they tried to bring him back but she cannot imagine her father facing defeat. Against Uchiha Sasuke of all people.

But he has victories, too. He has achieved unbelievable things, looked death in the face on more than one occasion. Hikaru still admires him and her heart glows as he talks about taking down the traitor Mizuki when he was still in the Academy, his defeat of Gaara and the Shukaku, how he learned the Rasengan technique his father created and defeated Kabuto, how he trained for nearly three years under Jiraiya and became much stronger. She has never heard these tales before and she sits very still and hangs on every word.

Eventually, there is a knock on the door just as her father is getting to his epic battle against Pain after the village was destroyed, and her mother peaks in as if on cue, when her husband is telling their daughter about how quiet little Hyuuga Hinata stood up alone to a man who called himself god. Her pale eyes fall first on Naruto and then on her daughter, "Sorry to interrupt, but it's very late, you should be getting to bed, Hikaru."

"Okay, Mom."

Hinata leaves the study and her father checks the time. "Oh, I didn't realize how late it had gotten. I hope I didn't bore you, got a little carried away, heheh."

Hikaru rises from her chair and makes her way to the door. She stops before she opens it, "Papa? Can I ask a favor?"

"Sure."

She flushes, eerily similar to the way her mother used to when she was the very same age and even starts twiddling her fingers. "I was wondering if you could train with me, like we used to after my Academy lessons."

He stares at her for a moment, expressionless, and then breaks out into his classic cheery smile, "Of course! I didn't know you still wanted my help."

"Of course I do, Papa."

"Good, then. I'll see you tomorrow. You better be ready."

Hikaru's smile is almost too broad for her face but she can't seem to manage to relax her muscles anymore, "I will be." And she turns and leaves the room, closing the door behind her. She crosses through the large house and makes her way to her room. After she slides open the door and changes into her pajamas, she crawls into bed, still smiling.

-x-

The next day, as Hikaru is eating her lunch with Shikamaru-sensei, Aito and Raiden, she notices that she can't stop looking at her sensei because all she can think of are the stories her father told the night before. She knew Shikamaru-sensei was awesome and all, but she never knew just _how_ awesome.

She's thinking about how he single-handedly took down the immortal Akatsuki member Hidan, (born April second in the former shinobi village Yugakure, known follower of the cult-religion Jashinism, buried alive by her sensei himself at the age of twenty-three, (she kind of wants to see where he buried him if she's being honest,)) when he catches her staring and frowns, "Get enough sleep last night, Hikaru-chan?"

She blinks, feeling her cheeks go red half from getting caught staring and half from the dark circles under her eyes being pointed out. "Um, well not really."

Her sensei chews thoughtfully, "And why not? Good sleep is important."

"Yes, I know, Shikamaru-sensei, I just, ah," she pauses while she searches for words that don't include how she was awake half the night because she was thinking of cool things her father had done when he was younger, "I just had a lot of trouble falling asleep. Must've been something in the ramen."

"Oi, don't you talk about my mom's ramen like that," Raiden said, narrowing his dark eyes at her.

Aito joins in, "Yeah and besides, I slept fine and I ordered the same thing as you."

"So it obviously has nothing to do with the ramen," Raiden continues, his stare unforgiving. Hikaru flinches a little from his gaze.

"Quit it with the ramen defense, sheesh," Aito inputs.

Shikamaru-sensei heaves a sigh and holds up one of his broad hands. "Just forget I asked," he tells her. "But _don't_ forget that getting a good night's sleep is important. Just as important as a healthy diet," he eyes Aito's minimal inclusion of vegetables and large portion of chips that are in his lunch tray, "and staying fit and active."

Hikaru nods, "Yes, sensei."

Practice resumes after lunch, and Hikaru gets to sit back and watch Aito and Raiden duel. She fights the winner since she's the best on the team, Shikamaru-sensei told her, which made her smile. Aito excels at taijutsu while Raiden is okay in that area, (mostly because he's tall, lanky and awkward,) but much better when it comes to ninjutsu, genjutsu and chakra control. Aito struggles to get close to Raiden, who has definitely began to develop an expertise in evasion, and is forced to rely mostly on kunai. The match gets close after Aito manages to release the genjutsu he's placed under and closes in on his teammate.

Raiden, who had been sure in his technique, is taken off guard by Aito's kick. Soon, he's cornered, and although Hikaru thinks the win should have rewarded to Raiden for his effort and overall skill, she winds up facing Aito. He grins when she approaches him.

"Please don't kill him, Hikaru-chan," Shikamaru-sensei calls in a bored tone from the sidelines.

She grins, "Hear that, Aito-kun? Sensei is worried for your life."

His brilliant green eyes roll exaggeratedly, "Yeah, yeah. God, I can only imagine if you had the Byakugan."

"Lucky for you I don't."

Aito tries to take her by surprise and launches towards her at full speed, but even though Hikaru lacks the Byakugan she can see his attack easily enough. She ducks and then summons just enough chakra, careful not to use harmful amounts, and while her fist begins to glow a faint blue, she grabs one of Aito's arms and twists it around his back, aiming her chakra-filled palm between his shoulder blades.

"_Juuken_." Gentle Fist.

Aito collapses at the sudden pain, but quickly rolls away from her second fist that was close to inflicting more damage to his chakra system. His body contorts until he regains balance on his hands and he aims a kick that could have broken her jaw if she hadn't seen it coming.

But she does, of course, she's not the Hokage's daughter for nothing, and blocks it, counter-attacking with a solid elbow to the back of his neck.

Hikaru, after about fifteen minutes of ducking and inflicting wounds on Aito, is declared the winner and flashes a victorious smile Aito's way. Her eyes begin to sting from their keeping them open against the heaviness but despite the dark circles underneath them they shine brightly. Sensei offers a "well done" when they make their way back over to where he and Raiden are standing.

Shikamaru-sensei is commenting on a few things he noticed while they were fighting when the Hokage strolls onto the training field. It's just after six and the sun is beginning to sink in the sky, leaving the horizon a shade of orange. "Hokage-sama," Shikamaru-sensei greets, straightening a little.

Naruto grins and lifts his arm to wave, "Hey, Shikamaru!"

Raiden has his typical expression on his face that could either be read as disinterest or boredom and Aito is nearly gushing at being in the presence of the mighty Hokage of Konohagakure. Naruto finally reaches where they're all standing in the field and puts his fists against his sides. "How'd training go, guys?"

Aito struggles for words worthy of speaking to the Hokage and Raiden shrugs, so Hikaru is the one left to answer. "Well after conditioning and lunch, Aito-kun beat Raiden-kun and then I beat Aito-kun."

Her father's grin spreads, "That's great!" and for a second it's almost like he goes to reach and ruffle Hikaru's hair like he used to, but maybe thinks of her pride or dignity and decides not to embarrass her, (although Aito probably would've been extremely jealous of her and Raiden and Shikamaru-sensei just wouldn't have cared.)

"If you don't mind me asking, Hokage-sama, why are you here?" Shikamaru-sensei asks.

He laughs at her sensei's politeness and attempts his best Shikamaru impression, "Well, Nara-san, if you must inquire, I am here to spend some quality time with my eldest child." He struggles to hold in his laughter and so does Hikaru, although she's blushing fiercely because if you asked her, her father was acting a bit immature.

Sensei just frowns. "Alright then, _Naruto_. Just wasn't sure if that was…appropriate."

Naruto waves a hand at him, "It's fine, it's fine, we're old friends. I'm just more important than you now."

"Can't argue with that."

Shikamaru is met with a wide grin, "No, you can't. I hope I'm not interrupting anything, by the way."

He shakes his head, "No, just wrapping things up here."

"Good, good. You don't mind if I borrow Hikaru-chan, then, right?" Naruto asks.

Her sensei shakes his head again, "Go right ahead. Not much to comment on, she was practically flawless today."

Aito, his pride wounded finally manages to make words, "No way, Shikamaru-sensei! I got some good hits in!"

Naruto chuckles and puts his arm around Hikaru's shoulders. "Glad to hear that, Shikamaru. You must be training her pretty well."

He shrugs, "I do what I can. These two, on the other hand."

Aito starts to protest again and Raiden heaves a sigh but Shikamaru just holds up a hand to let Aito know that he's not gonna hear it so he better quit now. "Anyway, Hokage-sama—Naruto—whatever—Hikaru-chan, enjoy your evening. We'll be getting going, so the field's yours."

"Thanks."

Shikamaru-sensei and Hikaru's teammates head off back towards the center of Konoha and for a little while, she and her father stand there watching them retreat. Then Naruto lets out a little laugh, "That Aito kid reminds me a lot of myself when I was your age," Hikaru is beginning to believe that "when I was your age" is quickly becoming her father's favorite phrase, "but I guess he's a lot like Kiba, too. You guys all get along?"

Hikaru nods. It's true, the usual bickering being the only exception.

He gives a close-mouthed smile, "That's good. Sasuke and I fought all the time and Sakura-chan was always hitting me. Kakashi-sensei never did much to help, either."

Then he turns and faces her, "Alright, kiddo, ready?"

She nods more enthusiastically then she thinks she's ever nodded in her entire life.

The Hokage of Konohagakure, her father, grins, "Alright then, let's get started."


	2. expectations

I do love crack pairings, I really, really do.

Characters:Kotetsu/Ayame, Izumo/Kaori, Kiba/Sakura, Naruto/Hinata, Aito, Raiden  
Rating:T, for language

**chapter two:** expectations

Kotetsu doesn't even care for ramen.

He does, however, care a great deal about Ayame and back then he was more than willing to sacrifice his usual order at the steak house over on the east side of the village just to be able to sit down and have her, not anyone else, hand him a steaming bowl of ramen.

He's not sure how exactly the crush started but he figures it has something to do with that one time Izumo declared "I'm so sick of that goddamn steak house so we're going to Ichiraku's" and proceeded to drag him there. Sure, Kotetsu had initially thought she was pretty and was totally flirting because he tends to flirt with anything that bats an eyelash, but it hadn't been a crush. At least not at first.

This was all, of course, before old man Ichiraku had taken to the retired life and while Kotetsu was telling his only daughter just how much he loves the way she wears her beautiful hair, he had his eyes set on him like any reasonable father with a daughter would. It was like he knew before Kotetsu did.

By the end of the month, though, he was smitten.

All she had to do was smile and roll her eyes at his ruthless attempts to flatter her, and she had him. When he and Izumo finally made jounin, he actually _suggested_ going to Ichiraku Ramen to celebrate and that was when Izumo knew something was up. Naturally, he did everything he could to encourage it.

"Ayame-chan, how great is it that Kotetsu-kun is finally a jounin?" he would say.

She giggled, of course, stirring the cooking noodles around in the large black pot. "Don't forget yourself, Kamizuki-san."

"Yeah, yeah. But really though, it's great, right?"

She turned from her work to look at the two of them, smiling, "Whatever you say."

Kotetsu grabbed Izumo's arm when Ayame turned around and pulled him in close so he could whisper, "What the_ hell_ are you _doing_?"

Izumo pushed him away, looking especially smug, "Oh, you know."

He really did know. A week later he asked her out, (they went to the steak house because he couldn't exactly take her to Ichiraku and even Kotetsu's favorite steak dish just didn't taste as good as Ayame's ramen,) and a year after that they were married and Ayame was two months pregnant before they could blink. Kotetsu literally almost shit his pants when she told him the news, partly because he was excited beyond comprehension so there was just nothing to do but shit himself and partly because he was scared _well_ out of his mind at the idea of becoming a father.

The day after Ayame told him about her pregnancy, Izumo and Kotetsu went out on a mission. A-class, enough to make her worry. He had scoffed at her "be careful"s and "please stay safe"s and all that, but six days into the job and just his luck, he winds up with a katana sticking out of his chest. Luckily, it was well enough away from his heart and you only need one lung to live, so even though he was gasping for breath and swearing up and down that he was going to die any minute now, he ended up being okay.

Ayame, on the other hand, while visiting him, had crumpled to the floor, nearly screaming in agony and clutching her belly like her life depended on it. The nurses rushed her away to the ER. She miscarried about an hour later and four months after that, she was released from the psychiatric ward on the affirmation that she was no longer a threat to herself.

Some happiness did come out of the whole ordeal, though. Izumo didn't have much to do while Kotetsu was on the mend so he mostly hung around in his hospital room keeping his partner up on all the latest jounin drama. The nurse came in to give Kotetsu his medicine, and Kotetsu noticed it wasn't his usual nurse, Kaori-san. He figured it was her day off or whatever and didn't mention it, but oddly enough, Izumo did.

"She took a day out. Poor thing, I think her mother's passed away," the substitute nurse told him.

Izumo frowned and Kotetsu, grinning like a madman for the first time since the miscarriage, turned and faced his partner. "This is gonna be good."

Izumo replied with a facial expression that was somewhere between confused and horrified.

He and Kaori were officially dating about three weeks later, and it turned out that her mother was not dead, but a month earlier had thrown a brick through her neighbor's window and needed Kaori to bring her to court for her third offense of destruction of property.

They were married pretty quickly and Ayame was discharged. Kotetsu did literally everything his breathing body, (well, not so much after losing a lung,) would allow him to make their little apartment off of Konoha's main strip a paradise for her. He cooked her dinners and refused to let her clean anything and bought some plants, (which eventually died because Kotetsu forgot that plants need to be watered. Ayame began to seriously consider how fit he was to be a father after that.)

It got worse when Ayame became pregnant again. Kotetsu barely let her leave the house, he talked about things like allergens and irritants and deadly diseases and _Ayame please think of the baby you know lately the flower shop has become pretty rowdy I've notice—oh my GOD put that laundry basket down you'll strain yourself!_

Kaori soon followed suit and Kotetsu was able to relax a little. She and Ayame went out and bought all kinds of baby things together and Kotetsu figured that since Kaori was a nurse she knew all about the dangers of allergens and rowdy flower stands when it came to pregnant women.

Not having suffered the loss that a miscarriage can bring on, Izumo was much more laid back about his upcoming fatherhood. It was as if they had been sucked into some strange parallel universe because suddenly Kotetsu was the ridiculously responsible one and Izumo had taken to waving his hand at trivial things because "he had bigger things to worry about" like "thinking about being a father" and "babies."

Raiden, nearly two months premature, came out perfectly healthy despite being so early. Kotetsu nearly had a heart attack at the ripe age of thirty when Ayame woke up in the middle of the night, her thighs and the bed sheets coated in fluid, clutching her abdomen. She said, "I think the baby's coming," breathlessly but Kotetsu had already grabbed her coat and shoes and called the hospital.

The labor was relatively short, only five hours, and all Kotetsu wanted to do was hold his new baby son but the doctors had taken him away in a flash to make sure he was okay. Kotetsu struggled to get enough air into his single lung, while Ayame was perfectly relaxed from all the painkillers. She had seen him and heard the staff say he was alive, that was all she needed.

Kotetsu paced the delivery room like a wild animal. Izumo and Kaori showed up exactly a minute before one of the nurses came in and told Kotetsu that he could see his son now. Ayame was deeply sleeping, so he went in alone.

Raiden was probably the ugliest little creature he had ever seen in his entire shinobi life but Kotetsu had never been filled with such a powerful love. He loved the ugly little creature with every bit of himself. Every breath his one lung took, every beat of his heart, every rush of oxygen-filled blood flowing through his body was filled with love. He was purplish-gray and mostly bald except for some black tufts of hair, so impossibly small ad frail-looking in that chamber they stuck him in. Kotetsu wanted to hold him, but there were wires and tape and some important looking tubes that should probably stay where they were, keeping his son alive.

Kotetsu's face just broke into a grin.

That was his son.

Living, breathing in front of him was his own baby boy. His son. He was his father.

"Raiden," he said, still grinning. His little thunder god.

-x-

Ayame was fine, so she was discharged pretty quickly, but the baby had to stay until he could breathe on his own. The doctor talked about oxygen deprivation and brain damage and Kotetsu wanted his boy to be perfectly healthy, he really did, but he also just wanted to take his son home to their apartment. Ayame, for once, agreed pretty wholeheartedly.

Kaori visited Raiden a lot and just sort of stared at him with a detached look of longing on her face. Kotetsu figured she just couldn't wait for her own baby to finally get there.

They could finally take their son home and they barely had a day to just the three of them before people rushed in with gifts and coos and _aww_s. Some more black hair had sprouted so it mostly covered his scalp, and he wasn't so purple anymore. He had gained a nice, healthy-looking pink look and he had opened his eyes, revealing that hazy baby blue. He was getting pretty cute, if Kotetsu did say so himself.

Izumo and Kaori had their son a little over four months after Raiden was born, right on time. They named him Tadashi, after Izumo's father Kotetsu assumed, and he was a perfectly healthy baby. They got to take him home right away and were met with the same swarm of people intent on admiring the shit out of that baby.

Tadashi and Raiden grew up together, naturally, there really wasn't any way to avoid it. Kotetsu and Izumo had been best friends since practically the beginning of time and since getting married to the two of them, Kaori and Ayame had gotten pretty close, too.

Ayame worried about Raiden's intelligence growing up, since he was premature, but Raiden proved to be one of the smartest in his class. It didn't help, though, that Chouji's second little girl was born premature and, as it turned out, with a heart defect. Ayame and Kotetsu set up more doctor's appointments when they heard that news for Raiden even though he still wasn't showing any signs of delayed development in any area. Ayame still had her worries about his physical development but he was a prime example of a good stature. He shot up like a tree before all the other boys his age and was still growing, nothing like what Kotetsu and Ayame had heard about "typical preemies".

Both Ayame and Kaori found themselves pregnant again, but there were seven months between the two of them and Ayame due first, in early March. Kotetsu was sweating like a pig by the time January rolled around because if anything scared him, it was having another premature baby and that baby being like other "typical preemies." He wanted happy, strong children. Not that he'd love any child of his any less if it turned out to be a little too frail to be a shinobi. It was just that he had a preference, really.

But four days late, Tadaaki was born, dark pink and screaming. They had a second son, miraculously as healthy as the first despite two previous complicated pregnancies. By the time October came around, everyone was waiting for Kaori. There were plenty of suspicions that she was having multiples because of her sheer size, and their suspicions were pretty on point. The end of the month drew closer, and on the twenty-fourth, she gave birth to twins, a boy, Yokuto, and a girl, Rei.

Yokuto and Tadaaki became inseparable, while, after being split into teams, Raiden and Tadashi more or less went their own ways. Their characters clashed, anyway. Tadashi was too brash and Raiden, too reserved and easily annoyed by Tadashi's loudness. Kotetsu was surprised he got along so well with his teammate Aito, since he and Tadashi were so similar. Camaraderie, he figured.

Sometimes Kotetsu wonders if sending his boys to the Academy and cheering loudly enough for the whole village to hear when Raiden graduated and made genin was the right decision. Yes, he wants them to be great shinobi and be renowned as fierce warriors in Konoha and the rest of the ninja world. He wants them to be able to protect their friends and their families if they ever needed to. Naturally Kotetsu wants them to be able to face down any variation of evil that comes their way, but there are things he doesn't want them to do.

Kotetsu doesn't like killing; most shinobi don't. It's ugly, dirty work and even though you know, you really know, that it's for the greater good, you never feel good about it. Kotetsu doesn't want them to know that feeling. He doesn't want them to become familiar with the sound of bodies breaking and with what death sounds like as it's coming towards a close. He definitely doesn't want them to know what a kunai taken in the thigh feels like, or a katana through the right lung. He doesn't want them to feel like the safety of the village is on their shoulders, like he can't help feeling sometimes when his mission isn't going as smoothly as he had hoped. He doesn't want them to know failure because when you're a shinobi, failure is unacceptable.

He sighs deeply at these dark thoughts. They wander often these days, while he has so much to think about. When he's going to be paid, when his next mission is, if he's going to survive.

Ayame comes in the room, not expecting him to be there by the look on her face when she spots him. He smiles, but it's very forced and she can tell. She goes to sit next to him on the couch.

"Hey."

"Hey."

"Wanna go out for lunch? Sakura invited me to come with Hinata," Ayame asks him.

He lifts an amused eyebrow, "You're asking me to join the ladies' day out?"

She smiles warmly, "Yes, we'll cheer you up."

No Kotetsu frowns, "Who said I needed cheering up?"

She rolls her eyes and stands up from the couch, brushing her skirt smooth again. "Oh, please. It's all over your face. You're thinking about dark things again." She sighs, but he can't tell what for like she could've. Ayame tends to be a much better mind reader out of the two of them.

"I guess I'll come. They won't mind?" Kotetsu asks.

Ayame shakes her head, "No, not at all. They love teasing you, it'll be like dinner and a show." She grins, waggling her eyebrows.

He can't help but laugh a little, "Okay."

They head out just shy of an hour later, heading to the eastern part of Konoha where there were plenty of restaurants. Hinata is already waiting for them when they come inside the hibachi place and waving them over to the table she got, as they're sitting down, Sakura comes in, looking around.

"Kotetsu-kun, I didn't know you'd be here!" She grins, sitting down across from him. "What a pleasant surprise."

"On your part," he muses, managing to smile at her. "How's Kiba?"

"Oh, the kids drive him crazy. I'm sure you understand, with two boys and all. Do they pick on each other? Aito is _always_ teasing Kaiya. It's nonstop," Sakura tells him, waving her hands in that way women do when they talk heatedly.

"Raiden isn't much of a teaser," he tells her, and Ayame laughs her agreement and starts talking. "And Tadaaki, I think, is really only trying to be his friend. You know, he follows him everywhere, _onii-san, onii-san, I want to play_. Drives Raiden up a wall, but he doesn't say anything."

The girls begin their talk of their kids. All their oldest are on the same team under Shikamaru, so they talk a lot about him. Mostly criticism, although Hinata, typical, doesn't say anything bad on Shikamaru's part. Sakura, on the other hand, raves about how he constantly criticizes Aito's technique and form and everything else he does, (even though that's what a good sensei does.) Kotetsu has the pleasure of teaching one of the few two-girls-and-one-boy teams in Konoha's history, and now he starts to feel a tad guilty about critiquing them during practice.

Then he frowns, "Well if a sensei doesn't tell his students what's wrong, they might never be able to improve what they're doing. Or it'll take much longer for them to do so. A sensei watches his students and finds the errors so he can make them aware of them and help improve them."

Sakura stares at him, and she looks very angry for a moment and Kotetsu starts to draw back and apologize because she's very terrifying when she's angry, but she mercifully relaxes a bit, probably having thought it over, "Yeah, I guess so. It's just Aito gets so upset. He just wants to be the best." She sighs, "He's so much like his father."

Hinata nods in agreement, "Yes, Kiba-kun was always so competitive when we were a team. Hikaru tells me so much about Aito though; she seems to think he's a great shinobi."

Sakura smiles at this, "Aw, Hinata, your little girl so precious, honestly. Kaiya has adored her ever since she came over our house for dinner. I think she inspires her a little. I sure hope so, Kaiya reminds me of myself at that age: plenty smart but not really apt for fighting off enemy nin."

A small blush graces over Hinata's cheeks, (some things never change,) "Me too. I'm glad Hikaru is more like her father. It's so hard being a girl sometimes in the shinobi world. I think my little Kenzou may have inherited my clumsiness, though." She tries to hide her colored cheeks by taking a long sip of her tea.

"Oh, that's so cute," Ayame is saying after taking a bite of her salad with the house dressing, "how old is he now?"

"Oh gosh," Hinata replies, "almost eight now. And Hikaru's turning fourteen this year. Makes you wonder where time has gone."

"Yes!" Sakura and Ayame say in unison. They laugh at this for a moment, and Sakura continues, "I feel ancient! I'm married! I have children! I've become my mother!"

Ayame sympathetically pats Sakura's hand and smiles at Kotetsu, "I don't mind feeling ancient just 'cause I'm married."

"Stop, I'll throw up," Sakura says. Hinata laughs softly and agrees with Ayame. Sakura looks at the pair of them like they're crazy and shakes her head, "Ugh, I love Kiba and all and I love our kids, but sometimes I just wanna, I just wanna hit him! Like, not a slap-across-the-face kind of hit, I mean like, through our front wall, over the street and into our neighbor's."

Ayame and Hinata look slightly horrified by this and Ayame tries to relate, "Well, I mean, sometimes I get _frustrated_…"

"And a little mad…" Hinata adds.

Kotetsu can't help but laugh, "Hinata-san, I can't imagine you even raising your voice. It's hard to believe when you talk over a whisper."

She blushes and laughs again, "Oh, believe me, Kotetsu-san, dealing with Naruto and three of his children just brings it out of me sometimes. Like Sakura said, I love them all, and I do very, very much, but…"

"Sometimes they drive you _literally insane_," Sakura finishes for her, sending Kotetsu a pointed look.

He looks to his wife, "Do I drive you literally insane, honey?"

Her smile is sarcastic, "Oh, yes, dear. Quite often."

If he's being honest, he's a little hurt by this, but he doesn't show it because he loves his wife and he can relate because _she_ sure can drive him up a wall at times. Never mind Raiden and Tadaaki, who seem to have some sort of personal vendettas against him and do everything possible to land him in a mental institution by the time he's forty.

Their food all comes, steaming and smelling heavenly, and their talk slows so that they can enjoy their meals. Sakura and Kotetsu start talking about missions, since Sakura still frequently goes on them despite being a full-time mother of two. Hinata and Ayame chat amiably away about cleaning and cooking and dealing with husbands and smaller, cuter versions of them.

Halfway through his meal, Kotetsu realizes that he had been cheered up. His guilt about pushing his sons into the hellish life he lives is still there, no doubt about that, and it will probably resurface to haunt him sometime in the near future, but it was nice talking to the ladies. He got a glimpse at a little bit of their world, though he doubts that the recently acquired knowledge will help him understand his wife's mood swings any better. Sakura, though a little harsh at times, (especially on Kiba, who had become a close friend of Kotetsu's since their kids were assigned to the same team,) was rather amusing, and Hinata was not as shy as he thought she was. "Naruto just…brings it out in me, I suppose," was her explanation of her personality change, although Sakura insists that she's still mostly the same, just a little more firm in her beliefs if anything, (good motherly traits, Ayame adds.)

They order drinks and only Ayame declines, then spend a considerable amount of time making fun of other shinobi's children, which Kotetsu thinks might be a bit out of line since none of them are over the age of fourteen and really have no sense of self-identity yet, but he bursts out in laughter despite himself when Sakura brings up Chouji's son.

"I mean good god, I know he and Fuki-san worry about their children since Sora has that heart defect, but _overfeeding_ them sure isn't doing them any good. Isao is six years old and I'll bet any money that he weighs more than me. He looks like a tomato, a goddamn _tomato_. I have never seen a child so perfectly round. It's just…it's disturbing is what it is."

And about Ino's daughter, who is her youngest and only daughter out of four kids, "I don't think her clothing could be brighter. She will be the first one killed in action because of her friggin' outfits. The worst part is that she doesn't even like it, but Ino shoves it down her throat. She refuses to have a tomboy, that's her problem, so now instead of having a perfectly functioning little kunoichi, she has this angst-filled rainbow as a daughter. And all the kid wants to do is just wear normal clothes that _won't_ make her a walking target for kunai but Ino dyes everything like neon green and orange."

After effectively making fun of everyone's children except for those of the ones sitting with her at the table, Sakura starts on her love life. "_Everyone_ thought I would either end up with Sasuke or spend the rest of my life pining after him," she's saying over desert and a margarita. Kotetsu will be the first to admit that he had, in fact, thought that very thing about her and feels a bit like an ass for it now that she's mentioned it.

"Kiba-kun is a great guy," Hinata comments.

Sakura nods, shoveling a spoonful of ice cream into her mouth, "Oh yeah, definitely, I didn't marry him for nothing. Yeah, he's funny, good-looking, great in bed…"

Kotetsu almost chokes on his pie. Sakura, not a hint of a blush on her face, snorts at his reaction. On the other side of her, Hinata's entire face is beginning to resemble a tomato, (in color, not in size like Chouji's son,) and Sakura laughs at that, too. "Sorry, guys, it's true. It's a must-have in a relationship. With me, anyways. What about you, Hinata, is Naruto any good?" She nudges her in the side with her elbow.

Hinata looks like she might faint and Kotetsu _really_ does not want to discuss this with his wife's friends, (who also happen to be his friends' wives,), "Um, I—I, um," poor Hinata struggles for words and probably also to remain conscious.

"Oh, Sakura-chan, please, we're in public and at dinner. And look what you're doing to Hinata," Ayame scolds.

Sakura finishes her last bite of desert and leans back in her chair, "Sounds like someone who doesn't want to talk about her sex life."

Now Kotetsu blushes and tries to think of ways to quietly die, "That's because it's coming from someone who _doesn't _want to discuss her sex life. My husband's right here."

"Yes! I am, I'm here, I am at this table, and I am part of this discussion," Kotetsu blurts, getting more and more red.

Sakura just chuckles, "Alright, alright, you bunch of prunes."

Sakura offers to pay the tip since she humiliated them all, much to her own amusement. They part ways after saying goodbye in the restaurant's foyer, and when Ayame and Kotetsu walk outside they are greeted by the familiar bustle of the streets and the sun hanging in the middle of the sky. Tadaaki is probably back from his lessons at the Academy and Raiden will be home shortly, too. Hand in hand, they make their way back to their apartment

"That was nicer than expected," Kotetsu says.

Ayame snorts, "Oh, I'm glad you set low expectations."

His smile is small, but genuine enough. "Yeah, well, you never know what to expect with Sakura."

Now Ayame laughs, "Yeah, I guess that's true.

They meet up with Raiden on the street, and Kotetsu ruffles his son's hair, which is the same color as his own but much shorter. He tells them about practice when they ask, and about his team. They don't say much else, but they do walk in a comfortable silence back to their apartment, where they find Tadaaki sitting at the table and dutifully doing his history homework.

After they give the kids dinner, because neither Ayame nor Kotetsu are hungry after their huge lunch, and get them off to bed, Kotetsu plops himself down next to his wife on their bed where she's reading.

"So," he begins, "any reason you didn't drink with us at lunch?"

She doesn't look at him and instead of answering, turns a page. A heartbeat later, she places the book in her lap and turns to look at him. "You sure do know how to spoil a surprise."

He frowns, "What's that suppose—" And then he stops because he understands and he's grinning and wrapping his wife in his arms and damn near crying if he's being honest with himself.

She laughs breathlessly in his embrace, but pulls away and places her small hands on both his cheeks, "But listen, this is our last one. I'm getting too old for babies as it is."

He kisses her, still smiling, because he doesn't know how else to answer her.


End file.
